Former Super Eagles international Friday Ekpo has revealed that Nigeria’s chances of making the 2026 World Cup might be slim, but is still realistic.
Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw against South Africa on Tuesday, suffering a major setback in their hopes of reaching the showpiece event next year.
The three-time African champions headed into the encounter against Bafana Bafana at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, after recording a 1-0 win over Rwanda last Saturday.
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong, who returned to the starting lineup after missing the Rwanda match, sliced a clearance into his own net in the 25th minute to give South Africa the lead.
Nigeria grew into the match after a tough start and scored the deserved equalizer, although it came in controversial circumstances.
Calvin Bassey’s header following a cross from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru deflected into the net via his arm and with no Video Assistant Referee, the goal stood.
Nigeria had several chances to grab a late winner, but could not find a way past the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper.
South Africa top group C with 17 points after eight rounds of matches, with Benin Republic in second place after their 4-0 win over Lesotho.
The Super Eagles sit third in the group with 11 points and face an uphill task of reaching the 2026 event, with only one automatic spot available from the group.
What Friday Ekpo said
Speaking after the match, the former Nigerian midfielder believes the players can still attain qualification for ‘football’s biggest event’.
“The Super Eagles’ hope of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is not over yet,” the former Nigeria international revealed.
“The most important thing at the moment is for the team to win their remaining two games and hope other countries from other groups fail to get higher points.
“So, I still believe that the Super Eagles will make it to football’s biggest showpiece. The draw against South Africa doesn’t mean that we are out of the World Cup race. Until the final game, I am still optimistic Nigeria can qualify for the World Cup.”
